Apparatus for handling coke.



13, MGIMNMLD.v AAIPMiA'IUS FOR HANDLING GOEE'.

APPLIUAION FILED AUG. 9, 1905.

Patented Dee. 7, 1909.

DONALO MCDONALD, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

APPARATUS '.lilOR HANDLING COKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

Application filed August 9, 1905. Serial N o. 273,417. A

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, DONALD MoDoNALD, a citizen of the United States, vand a resident of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson, State 5of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Coke, of. which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more especially to the handling of coke in gas plants, though the invention may be applied to any coke producingl plant. v

One object of the present invention is to handle the coke in ,such manner that quenching may take place within the gas house without incidentdisagreeable effects or loss of time due to the presence of the steam or vapor` generated in quenching, within and throughout the cellar and other parts of the plant and to accomplish this resul-t without the use of suction fans or other expensive special apparatus.

Another object of the invention is .to quench thel coke in such a manner as to iniprove its quality and to lessen the wear and tear on the apparatus'.

In carrying out my invention, I provide the bench of retorts with as many separate and independent bins of laterally restricted area and with tight inclosing sides, and bottom closures, as there are' retorts or vertical rows of retorts in the plant7 and I so locate these receiving and confining bins that the contents of any retort or vertical row of retorts may bek thrown oli' into lits own especial bin and there retained until quenching is complete; said bins being also so located beneath the floor of the gas house that thel steam arising therefrom and which is laterally restricted by the confining sides, will be drawn inward toward and passed upward in frontof the bankof retorts, being thus pre I vented not only from spreading over the cellar beneath the floor but prevented from .Spreading over the working space on the gas.

house licor and thus permitting free access to and full :activity throughout the plant and not even interfering with the recharging of the retorts immediately after drawing, since the steam is prevented from con-- densing to anything like non-transparent condition until it rises above the hot area immediately in front' of the retorts. I also provide means whereby the body of'cok'e in and the steam'generated from lower strata,

even down to the bottom of the mass, is compelled to rise through the body of coke. I also provide means whereby the coke, after being quenched byri-the spraying operation and drled by evaporation due to its own heat, may be discharged from the individual bin, into a suitable 'vehicle below and it will then be in condition to remain in the cellar without objection until the car is filled from other bins and moved olf. 'This quenched and dried condition of the coke also permits the use ofa cheap wooden car instead of a metal car which is necessary where the coke is dumped in hot state.

My invention will be fully understood upon reference to the accompanying drawllngs, in which-- retort bench with the main floor, the ce lar beneath the floor, one of the individualbins mountedin the ioor and a car in the cellar, beneath the bin in position to receive .the contents of the bin. Fig. 2 is a plan View slipwing horizontal series of retorts or rows of retorts and the bins in position to receive the contents thereof.

l indicates retorts arranged in horizontal series and superposed in vertical rows, and 2 represents a horizontal series of bins, equal in number to the retorts or vertical rows of retorts in horizontal series and mounted in the lfloor 3 of the plant in such position that each bin will receive the contents of all the retorts of one vertical row. These bins are thus necessarily of lateral restricted area and each is identified direct-ly with the 1 workingl sphere of its corresponding retort or verticalrow of retorts. It is constructed with ti ht sides which not only confine the body o coke therein to the steam generated in quenching, butlimit the lateral dimen- I sions of the column f'stearwhich--rises from the bin when the bin is open or which escapes around. its upper closure if the bin thehin,` for which purpose oorv 4 is prolis closed. The bin 1s preferably provided 1 of the results aimed at.

vided 'with a rest 8, a limiting wall to prevent the coke from going beyond the bin,

Vfor which purpose door 5 is arrested in the position shown in'dotted lines. But I do not herein claim the details of these doors as thev same form the subject matter of claims in my Letters Patent No. 832,693, granted October 9, 1906 upon an application of later date than my present case.

vI desire it understood that in its broader aspect, my invention is not limited to the use of a top closure for the bin since such is notl essential tov a measurable attainment This top Closure is, however, a convenience and will be generally desirable forqthe reason that it provides a platform over which operatives may walk 1n serving the apparatus and with the otherwise tight bin closed at the top, an immediate steaming action on the coke is insured.

At its bottom, each bin is preferably constructed in the form of a chute which will insure discharge of the bins; that is, provided the car is not located directly beneath th bin; also with a suitable rele-usable boti tom closure adapted to confine the coke until such time as quenching and drying have advanced to the proper stage or until it is desired 'to discharge the coke. To attain these ends, the bin is preferably constructed with inclined fixed bottom 9 and with the movable bottom or door lO'hinged at 11 and 'releasably secured by latch 12. It will be seen that the bins depend into the cellar 13 and terminateat such'a height that there is ample space for the vehicle lll to move into receiving position beneath them.V

AF or the purpose of quenching, I' have shown a spray pipe 18 suitably arranged within th e.upperportion ot the bin and Supplied by pipe 19, some of the openings of thls pipe being so disposed as to direct water upon sides of the bin to keep the bin cool and direct the waterI downward to the. lower strata of coke so as to supply the lati ter from the start and to avoid delay which would result wherethe water must trickle over the upper parts ot' the coke to reach the low'er parts and is thus largely vaporized in the u'pper portions before reaching the lower portions. A 1

16 represents a gutter in the Hoor of the cellar which is covered by perforated plate 17, supported on the ties 17a and preventingl thel escape of coke into the glitter while per- Initting free access of surplus water to the gutter.

' The method of putting my invention into effect is as follows: During the charging ot' thel retorts 1, the top closures of the bins, if employed, are closed to provide walking spacci" After the coal is suliiciently distilled or thegas is driven off, in a retort or vertical rowof retorts, the top closure oi the correspondnig bin 1s opened, the coke is withdrawn from the retort or row of retorts by a suitable puller or other apparatus and directed or otherwise caused to drop into the corresponding bin. The bin is then preferably closed and water is admitted through the pipe 19 to the sprayer 18 which directs the water on top of the piled coke and against the sides of the bin which sides direct the water downward, with the result of covering the sides and bringing the water into contact with lower portions of the body of coke. This continues until the quenching is carried far enough, when the supply of water is cut ott and the steaming action allowed to continue under the residual heat of the coke until the coke is sufficiently dried, or by the evaporation further reduced in temperature, after which the contents ot' the bin may be discharged by opening the door 1() or other bottom closure. During the quenching and drying operation, it is obvious that the column of steam (if the bin is open) or the area. of the rising steam (if it escapes around cracks of the closure) will be restricted laterally by the sides of the bin. lt will also be observed that with the heated area immediately in front of 'the bank of retorts, which keeps up a constant' upward current, the steam will be naturally thrown inward and further restricte'tlwithin the immediate working sphere of thegivcn retort or 'vertical row of retorts and will thus not invade through portions of the working space or extend outward from the oven a sufficient distance to materially intert'ere with recharging the retorts at once it' it is desired so to do. Moreover, the high temperature ofthe area in front of the oven prevents condensation of the`stcam to a sut'- licient degree to 'obscure the'view of the operative and thus renders the presence of the steam wholly unobjectionable. Little or no steam escapes from the bottom of the bin-- and it is thus convenient to manipulate the vvehicle in the cellar at anyand all times and diseharg 'ny bin, 'regardless of the stage of quenching in any other bin.

When the top closure is employed during the quenching operation, steam from the coke permeates thoroughly all portions of the body of coke, giving an iu'iproved color to the coke fand insuring uniformityin the. progress ot' the quenching action so that when discharged, the body of coke will be found to have been uniformly treated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new' and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: g v

1. The combination with the retort in a gas-retort house, and the floor of said house; of means tor receiving, confining and quenching the coke from said retort, comprising a bin located at an opening in said floor beneath said retort; said bin being open at top to admit coke from the retort llO .from and compel the rising vapor to escape with a bottom closure movable to permit and to permit vapor from the quenching water to escape vertically from the bin; be-

ing constructed with tight side walls to conne rthe body of coke being quenched as well as the vapor therefrom and limit-the area of the rising vapor to the space in front of the retort discharging into thebin, and being provided with means for spraying the coke within it, and with iiv bottom closure mov4 able to permit the quenched coke to pass from the bin.

2. The combination with the retort in .a gas-retort house, and the floor of said house; of means for receiving, confining and quenching' the coke from said retort, comprising a bin txedly mounted at, and projecting down 'ardly from7 an opening' in said floor at a'point beneath said retort; said bin being` open at top to admit coke from the retort and to permit vapor from the quenching water to escape vertically t'rom the bin, being constructed with ltight side walls to confine the body of coke being (pienched as well as the vapor therefrom and limit the area ot the rising vapor to the space in front of the retort discharging' into the bin and being provided with means for spraying the coke within it, and witha bottom closure movable to permit the quenched colic to pass from the bin. t*

The combination with the bench of rel-A torts in a gas-retort house, and the floor of said house; of individual means serving' to separately receive', confine and quench the colic trom the several rctorts, comprising bins tixedly located in and projecting downwardly from openings in the said Hoor beneath the several rctorts; said bins being restricted in horizontal dimensions to the several spaces of the retorts which they respectively serve and being' open at top to admit coke from the retort and to permit vapor from the quenching water to escapegi/vcr tically 'from thc bin, being' constructed with tight side walls to confine-'the body of coke being quenched as well as the vapor there# above the floor in an area limited to the space in front of the retorts discharging into the bin; and said bin being provided with means for spraying' the coke within it, and

the quenched colte to pass from the bin.

4. The combination with a retort house having a horizontal series ot' retorts, a main, floor and a cellar beneath the main lioor, of a correspomling series of quenchingpbins located beneath said rctorts and depending into the cellar below, each bin located and constructed to receive and to confine laterally the coketrom the retort located above it, and each having a bottom closure.

The con'ibination with a plurality oi retorts, arranged in horizontal series, oil a corresponding series ot' lpicnching bins beneath said retorts,- each lo 'ated and`con series of coke retorts, ot'ua corresponding series of quenching' bins beneath said retorts, each located and constructed to receive and rconfine the coke from the bench located aboveit, and each having a bottom and a top closure and provided with means 'for quenlhing the coke. located within the bin whereby the body of colte from a single retort may be quenched while completely incloscd and the vapors produced by the quenching prevented from spreading through the working spaces, said spraying means beingadapted to spray the sides of the bins .to keep the samc cool and to deliver quenching water to the lower portionsl of the body of coke.

i'. In combination with theplu'ality of colte retorts ar `anged in horizontal series and conveyingl apparatus located at a lower md5 to the spray but to a steaming ettectA lwhereby the body'of coke from the retort above each bin may be treated separately from the coke drawn from all the other retorts and before discharging,r into the conveyer andthereby leaving the remaining doors and otherbins free. for independent manipulation and preventing the presence of vapor in the Space surrounding the conveyer. i

8. A plant comprising a series of coke or gas -retorts, a series of chutes under said retorts, means for supplying water so that it may pass to the bottom of said chutes. said chutes being adapted to receive the charge of coke drawn from the adjacent series of retorts and being of such size and proportion as to hold the coke ina cohnnn and to confine the steam generated from water passing to the bottom thereof to cause it to the coke char e from the adjacent series of y The foegoing specication signed at retorts in a co umn and to confine the steam Louisville, Ky., this seventh day of August, generated from the Water passing to the bot- 1905.

tom thereof to cause it to rise through the DONALD MCDONALD. column of coke, and a closure for the lower 'In presence ofend of the cllutes adapted topermit a slow WM. H. CRUTCHER,

drain of Water therefrom. THos. R. GAITHER. 

